Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Communion
I Timothy 1:12-17
1. Everybody has a past, v. 13
“People get confused in this life about what they want, what they’ve done and what they think
they should have because of it. Everything they think they are or did takes a hold so hard that it
won’t let them see what they can be.”
2. Anybody can receive God’s mercy, v. 13
3. Grace brings stuff with it, v. 14
4. Mercy always comes with a mission, v. 15-17

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Matthew 6:25-34
How To Change Your Relationship with Anxiety

1. A proper definition of life, v. 25
2. A motivating perspective on life, v. 26
Two things we can learn from birds...
a) God’s provision is more reliable than my performance
“Jesus looks at the world and sees abundance. He has a conception of the
universe as beautiful creation that is packed with opportunity and resources and
potential. Jesus walked around with this deep conviction that despite all of the pain
and suffering that he saw going on in the world, despite all the pain and suffering
that he himself experienced, he still believed that Yahweh the God of Israel, the
creator of heaven and earth is an extremely generous host who has given an
overabundance of resources and opportunities to all of us.” - Tim Mackie
b) my value is not determined by how much I have in my “barn.”
Luke 12:13-21
3. A right view of yourself, v. 26b
Three simple reasons for human value/dignity...

a) humans are the only thing made in God’s image
b) humans were given the cultural mandate
Genesis 1:28
c) because Jesus said so

4. A biblical view of the role of anxiety, v. 27-30
Questions we should ask ourselves when feeling anxious...
a)What is anxiety accomplishing for me?
b) What am I considering too much or not enough?
c)Do you believe God will do for you?, v. 30
d) In who or what is my faith?

5. A right view of the Father, v. 31-34
Matthew 6:7-8
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness...”
Ways we seek our own righteousness...
a)You always have to be right, even when you’re wrong
b) You cannot stand to be misunderstood
c)You insist on always knowing

Mental worship...
1. What changes do you need to make to the way you define life?
2. Who do you compare yourself to and what is the outcome of that comparison?
3. Where do you go, what do you look to in order to feel your value?
4. Do you think more about the size of your barns or the state of your soul?
5. In what ways do you seek your righteousness?
6. How much of today gets eaten up by tomorrow in your thoughts?

Ian Weber, Student Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

What Allegiance to God Looks Like
Matthew 6:19-24

1. What do we treasure v.19-21
a. Bad investments v.19
⁃ Moth = anything nature can destroy
⁃ Rust = anything time can decay
⁃ Thieves = anything that can be taken without warning
b. Good investments v.20
c. Your heart follows your treasure v.21
2. What do our eyes see? v.22-23
a. Healthy eyes bring light to the body
b. Bad eyes bring darkness to the body
c. Don't confuse the two
3. Who is our master? v.24
a. Good master
b. Bad master
c. Everyone is a slave to something

Mental Worship...
1)What earthly treasures are most tempting for you to spiritually invest in? Why?
2)Where do you find yourself spiritually investing in heavenly treasures?
3)How do you see your heart following your treasures?
4)Are your eyes healthy or not? How would you know?
5) Who / what are you a slave to?

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Matthew 6:16-18
The Freedom of Fasting

1. It is assumed that Christians fast, v. 16
“The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie. It is not the
banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but mindless nibbling at
the table of the world.”

-John Piper, A Hunger for God

2. Fasting is for God, v. 16
When we embrace that fasting is for God two things happen:
a) it eliminates anybody having to know
b) it affects what I do while fasting
Zechariah 7:1-6
Isaiah 58:3-5

3. Fasting is in secret, v. 18
Four thoughts that accompany habitual sin...
a God is ________.
b There is no use.
c There is no stopping.
d There is no hope.

Nehemiah 9:1-2

Mental worship...
1 What has most shaped how you think about fasting?
2 What spiritual habits do you practice to stay connected to your faith?
3 Do you ever wonder if your spiritual habits matter?
4 What do you feel when you read that "your Father sees in secret? "
5 Is the lie you believe about God or yourself?

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

Matthew 6:5-15
How To Pray Big & Free

1. Prayers is not for managing people’s opinion, v. 5-6
2. Prayer is not where you control God, v. 7
3. Prayer is a demonstration of what you believe, v. 8
Two things to believe...
a) “for your father”
b) “knows what you need before you ask him.”

4. Prayer has structure, v. 9-13
Structure of the disciples prayer...
a) acknowledgement- “Our father in heaven...”
b) nature
1) name- “Hallowed be your name..."
2) Kingdom- ...”your kingdom come...”
3) will- ...”your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
c) needs- “...give us this day our daily bread...”
d) responsibility- ”...and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
e) freedom, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
I Corinthians 10:13

Mental worship...
1. When you pray, are you more mindful of God or the people in the room?
2. Does your life “hallow” God’s name?
3. Do you ever sound like an orphan when you pray. Like someone who doesn’t have a Father?
4. What would change about your prayers if you believed that God knows what you need before
you asked Him?
5. How is your spiritual ability these days?
6. What two words best describe your prayer life?

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

Practicing Righteousness
Matthew 6:1–4

1. It’s not what we do but why, v. 1
Matthew 6:1
In this one verse Jesus tells us three things...

a) practicing righteousness reinforces who we are

Practicing righteousness means a lifestyle that demonstrates inner transformation which shows
up in our life rhythms, daily choices, relationships and posture towards others that goes beyond
rule keeping and to the authority and sufficiency of King and Kingdom.

b) where and why matter
c) its possible for heaven to have no consequence of how you lived on earth

2. Giving to the needy is assumed behavior, v. 2

Here is what happens when you give to the needy...
a) you are lending to God
Proverbs 19:17
b) you are seeing the world the way God sees it
c) you are avoiding judgement through stewardship

Luke 16:19-25

3. Giving can be a form of taking, v. 2-4a

4. Let the fact that God knows be enough for you, v. 3-4
Matthew 6:3-4

Mental worship...
1. What do you do in order to practice your righteousness?
2. Does being anonymous take the joy out of giving or add joy to giving?
3. Do you practice your righteousness enough to feel confident about your faith?
4. How often do you think of yourself as “lending to God?”
5. Are you a different person in the “synagogue” than you are in the “streets?”

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

My Prayer for Our Church
Isaiah 6:1-13

Context of Isaiah...

1) God’s people trusted in human leadership more than they trusted God
2) Increased wealth brought a diminished view of God
3) People felt secure in their sins as long as they performed the right religious rituals
4) They presumed upon God’s grace and so they required God’s judgement

1. That we would see God, v. 1
2. That we would grow in our knowledge of God, v. 1-4

God is...
a) enthroned
b) transcendent
c) worshipped
d) consequential

3. That we would make progress on our stuff, v. 5
4. That we would receive from the Lord, v. 6-7
Two things to notice...
a) “your guilt is taken away”- how you feel about what you did
b) “your sin is atoned for”- what you did

5. That we would hear from the Lord, v. 8-13

“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete
darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”
~ Ernest Shackleton

Mental worship...
1. Where do you look to see God at work?
2. What is one thing you want to better understand about God?
3. How do you know you are progressing spiritually?
4. Is there a painful gift the Lord wants to give you?
5. Do you hear from the Lord?

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

Matthew 2:13-26
Loving God’s Sovereignty
What it is- God’s sovereignty is the belief that God is the ultimate King, controlling
history, nature and individual lives with perfect wisdom, justice and mercy.
What it means- God’s sovereignty means He has supreme, absolute power and authority
over all creation and every event, working all things according to His ultimate will for his
glory, with nothing outside His control or knowledge, though this concept intersects with
human free will and the problem of evil, implying He allows, but doesn’t directly cause, all
negative events.

1. God’s sovereignty is relational, v. 13-15
2. God’s sovereignty is sustaining, v. 16-18

"We must simply listen to God when it comes to the sovereignty of God. We must
have God tell us what it means for him to be sovereign, lest we import limitations
or possibilities into God that he doesn’t find in himself.”

- John Piper

3. God’s sovereignty is hopeful, v. 19-23

Three reasons God’s sovereignty is hopeful...
a) It is hopeful because it reminds us that God is actively involved in all the affairs
of our lives.
- Romans 8:28-32
b) It is hopeful because sovereignty doesn’t allow moments to become bigger than
they were intended to be.
c) It is hopeful because time fills up but never runs out.
v. 15- “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I
called my son.”
v. 17- “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah...”
v. 23- And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by
the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.”

Mental worship...
1. Do you really believe God is for you?
2. Have you ever gone through something that you were only sustained by your
understanding of God’s sovereignty?
3. If God came to you in the context of your fears, what is the first fear He would
speak to?
4. Are you more prone to put limitations or possibilities onto God that do not exist
in God?
5. Have you allowed anything to become bigger than it was intended to be?

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

The Joy of Having A King
Matthew 2:1-12

1. Worship Him, v. 2
• Revelation 4:9-11

2. Kill Him, v. 3-8
What we know about Herod...
a)he has no rightful claim to the throne
b)used violence to stay on the throne
c)would kill again to keep his throne
• Luke 19:11-27
• Revelation 19:15-16
3. Give to Him, v. 9-11
Two things we should see here...
1)God comes to us in a language we understand
2)God wants to be found
4. Obey Him, v. 12

Mental worship...
1. Are you ready for what Jesus will be like when he returns?
2. How often does your posture change in worship?
3. In what “language” do you need God to speak to you?
4. Has God ever warned you about something or somebody?
5. By how you live, who or what is the biggest authority in your life?

How To Be At Peace With What God Does

Pastor Neil McClendon

GRAND PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH

Matthew 1:18-25

1. Understand that life is designed to be a response to what God is doing, v. 18
Luke 1:26-38

2. Who you are informs your response, v. 19
Two things about Mary & Joseph...
a)how heaven talks about them
b)how they respond

3. Be responsible with the revelation you receive, v. 20-24
Guidelines for interpreting dreams...
a)Does it align with Scripture?
b)Understanding a dream requires prayer and wise counsel.
c)Should be interpreted with humility.
d)Who does this invite me to trust?
Jeremiah 23:25-29

. Learn to glorify God in what you don’t do, v. 25
“...but he knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”

Mental worship...
1. What do your prayers demonstrate that you know?

2. Is there a difference in your vertical and horizontal righteousness?
3. Do you ever wonder how heaven talks about you?
4. What would it feel like for you to say, “Let it be to me according to your word?”
5. Should you pray differently knowing that God knows what you are thinking before you say
anything?
6. What could you not do this week that would glorify God?